A small plane carrying three passengers crash landed Monday night at a soccer field near Monarch Park Collegiate at Felstead and Greenwood Avenues.
海角社区官网Police Service reported on social media that there were no injuries.
鈥淲e got very lucky tonight,” 海角社区官网Fire Chief Jim Jessop told a media scrum at the scene. “The plane crashed into the fence. As you can see the trees behind me, it appears to me that it came through the trees and then landed on the ground and skidded into the fence.
“I am happy to report there are no injuries to the occupants of the airplane and no injuries to the civilians who were playing soccer on the field 鈥 as you can see, the game continues.”
Reports said the occupants were all adults between 30 and 40.
Witness Frank Leonardo, was playing soccer on a nearby field.
“We just saw a plane flying really low, lower than those lights, and we were like, ‘Whoa! What’s going on here,’” Leonardo told CP24. “I was about a hundred metres away. It could have landed on me. Thank God.”
Leonardo said the whole field was being played on.
Other witnesses on the scene reported virtually no damage to property 鈥 incredible considering the population density of that area of Toronto.
The Piper Cherokee PA28-140 four-seater that flies out of Billy Bishop airports appeared relatively undamaged Monday night after crash landing near Monarch Park Collegiate. The pilot and three passengers were unharmed.
海角社区官网Fire ServicesThe area includes Monarch Park Collegiate, an off-leash dog park and several lowrise apartment buildings.”
Not long after the crash, the scene on the sports field was surreal. The plane lay in one corner roped off with yellow caution tape, its nose tilted toward the ground and the lights of police sirens flashing off its fuselage.听
Meanwhile in the centre of the field about two dozen people played a game of ultimate frisbee, and local residents stopped by to get a look at the wreckage. One kid took selfies with the plane in the background.
Maria Novello, who lives on Monarch Park Ave., said she saw sirens on the street and wanted to see what was going on.
鈥淚鈥檝e lived in the neighbourhood for a very long time and nothing like this has ever happened here before,鈥 she said.
She said she was relieved no one was hurt.
鈥淵ou see a lot of people playing at this stadium, it鈥檚 a very active stadium, there鈥檚 a lot of kids,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t could have been much worse.鈥
Kenn Harvey, principle of Monarch Park,听听said damage appeared to be limited to a workout facility on the edge of the field and he expected classes would go ahead as normal on Tuesday.听
鈥淎s far as I can tell everything鈥檚 going to be fine tomorrow,鈥 he said. 鈥淪chool will be open.鈥
Another witness was shocked by how intact the plane was on the ground.
“It’s in one piece still,” a man name Devon told CP24. “It looks like its in mint condition.”听
A plane, matching the call numbers C-FXGC of the downed plane, is registered to the online Flight Club Life website for rental at $121 an hour.
The Piper Cherokee PA28-140 four-seater is described on the site as a “great time builder, based Downtown 海角社区官网CYTZ (Billy Bishop airport), with the best view in the city!”
It goes on to say they are seeking pilots that will “consistently fly.听25 hour block times required.听$250 for insurance costs (1 year).
With files from Ben Janet Hurley, Ben Musset
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